Karajan in Paris in war time

Young Karajan conducts in Paris in war time

Category:

Music

Tags:

• karajan
• world
• war
• second
• paris
• meistersinger
• wagner

[majortom51970]

Even at this early age, you can tell the kind of genious he was. He was later accused of being just "cold" and "technical". These were accusations of people used to artists putting sweet syrup on everything. Karajan's devotion to detail and his care not to impose false sentimentalities of his own, allowed the works of the composers to be revealed in the best possible and most respectful way.

[BrucknerEnthusiast]

majortom51970: Absolutely true! Karajan was a shy man, but confident of his own ability, and the combination of these two factors made some people think he was "cold", but he wasn't.

As for people who complain about too much emphasis on "technical" matters, what do they want? Do they want technical incompetence?

Anyone who thinks Karajan was cold should hear his terrifying DG recording of Honegger Symphony No. 3. Unforgettable.

[Zarathustra799]

France declared war on Germany, for anyone who says it's a terrible sin for Germans to play music in occupied Paris. And the French civilians were well treated by the Germans. ;-)

[uhartchristian]

Karajan was quite clever, to continue without problems his career after the war, he took Mister Glotz as his impresario (agent) . so he had no problems and could do a lot of money, fly with his own airplaine , have a nice house in st tropez and salzburg and much more.... he married a joung and beautiful french girl. thats as much adaptation as Furtwaengler showed during the war....

[uhartchristian]

@sstuddert come on everybody in germany did read the book mein kampf as it was the holy bible there. and all was written in that book.... nobody did ignore the kristallnacht as it was a "big" and noisy event.... yes all germany or nearly all supported these massmurderers and thieves. read the book of Mrs alma Mahler Werfel and you will understand what happened in that time.... My mother told me she did not have seen the Kristallnacht but she knew as everybody. they did not want to look !!!!

[sstuddert]

@promptersbox Those massive crowds at Nuremberg account for 0.7% of the population of Germany at the time. As for their support of Hitler, they DID support Hitler, just like the U.S. supported Bush. Well, the U.S. certainly regretted that decision, fortunately for them, the president didn't seize indefinite absolute power by murdering or incapacitating all of his political rivals and trapping the nation in a state of totalitarianism.

Now, off you fuck.

[promptersbox]

@sstuddert

You need to study history. They DID support him...through Kristallnacht, the invasion of Poland and on and on. Ever notice the massive crowds at Nuremberg? A scene repeated all over Germany and Austria.

"Mein Kampf" was there for everyone to read. His hatred of the Jews was expressed in speech after speech. They did support him, they supported the war and through their silence, they supported the extermination of the Jews. He joined the Nazi party twice.

[sstuddert]

@promptersbox no, they can't, do you think the German people would have supported Hitler for a second if they knew what it was going to lead to? of course not.

[promptersbox]

@sstuddert

Yes they can.

[promptersbox]

@fullbuck50

Well said.

[promptersbox]

NAZI BASTARD. In contrast to the Karajan that we're all familiar with, restrained, eyes closed, small movements, we have here a Karajan all but jumping off the podium. Clearly acting the conquering hero. This was a German opera company playing to an audience of Nazis in a city and country that had been INVADED.

He seems all too happy to be there. Disgusting, revealing and tragic.

Hell of a conductor though.

[fullbuck50]

A very depressing documentation of what he denied later on. He could have refused, he could have left, like so many others. But there he is, playing for occupied Paris. All the self-justifications and rewrites of history, especially his own, are just washed away by this.